Some people deduced the shark allegedly killed by Liao and Huang was the same one seen in photos posted by oil rig workers in the same area, reports CNN.

The oil rig workers posted the photos last week on microblogging site Weibo, saying the whale shark was an “old friend” and usually visited them at the rig around this time of the year.

When photos of the dead shark surfaced, netizens were quick to link the two. One person commented on the Weibo post, saying it was a “tragedy of greed”.

Whale sharks, which are non-violent fish, are listed as”vulnerable”, just below “endangered”, by the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and are protected in China.

According to endangered animal laws, whale sharks must be set free if caught. As of 2014, the penalty for hunting, slaughtering, and selling an endangered species is no less than 10 years in prison, according to China Daily.